A former Head Girl at Rydal Penrhos has been speaking about her gap year placement at a prestigious New Zealand school.

Hannah Cashell is currently at St Peter’s Independent School in Cambridge, which is just a short drive from Hamilton, as part of a prestigious placement she gained while studying at Rydal Penrhos.

The 18-year-old said:

“I have been playing a general roll within the school, helping with the junior school lessons, within PE classes, in reception, performing arts, the hockey team I jointly coached since I have arrived made their league finals but unfortunately lost with both me and the other coach absent.

“Helping out and supervising water polo has been incredibly enjoyable as well as starting to learn more about lacrosse and the possibility to get involved and manage a team is exciting.

“I have just got back from the south Island having been away with the golf team for a week in Nelson. It’s a beautiful city, we did feel the earthquake at around five in the morning which rudely awoke us, but it’s not every day you wake up from an earthquake and a potential Tsunami warning.

“Also have been away skiing helping with the North Island Ski Qualifiers and off again in a couple of weeks for the finals for a few days which will and has allowed to get back into skiing. So the opportunities St Peters provides is just incredible.”

The former Wales hockey international and Eryri netball star was also full of praise for staff and pupils at St Peter’s, and spoke on the experience of receiving her A-level results in a vastly different time zone to her classmates.

After a successful set of results, Cashell will begin life at the University of Newcastle next year, where she will study Geography.

“The kids here are just incredible and the staff are amazingly welcoming,” she added.

“The one thing I was told was everyone in New Zealand are the most welcoming and friendly people in the world and they are 100 per cent right. Working and helping in the junior girls boarding house is good fun too with the girls taking a very keen interest in my accent and the way we pronounce certain words.

“This has made settling in so much easy and has definitely helped ease the feeling of home sickness.

“Receiving my results out here was pretty nerve racking but to be accepted into your first choice university just relaxed me and has made me want to really make the most of my year.

“I will be travelling the North Island over the next holiday, and Maddy will be coming out to travel Australia, Fiji and more of New Zealand over summer (England’s Christmas) which I look forward to.

“My time here is flying by and I just quickly want to thank you and everyone especially my teachers for seeing me through year 13, I did not think I would have been sitting here without their help with a pretty good future ahead of me.”